Toronto markets posted solid gains Wednesday on strong energy and gold prices, despite a grim outlook on the U.S. economy from Fed chief Ben Bernanke.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 73.42 points, or 0.55%, at 13,514.14.

Seven of the ten major TSX groups gained today.

The big gainer was the materials group, which gained 2.48%.

The gold sub-index gained 3.82%, as gold for June delivery gained US$12.40, or 1.4%, to finish at US$900.20 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Goldcorp Inc. shares gained $2.09, or 5.46%, to end at $40.39. Eldorado Gold Corp. stock gained 34¢, or 4.97%, to end at $7.18. Barrick Gold Corp. shares erased some of yesterday’s losses, gaining $1.72, or 4.03%, to close at $44.42.

The heavyweight energy group gained 1.39%. Crude oil for May delivery gained US$3.85, or 3.8%, to settle at US$104.83 a barrel on the Nymex, after falling below the US$100 mark earlier in the day.

Talisman Energy Inc. shares gained 76¢, or 4.09%, to close at $19.36. As well, Petro Canada Co. stock gained 56¢, or 1.25%, to close at $45.25.

The base metals sector gained 1.62%. Sherritt International Corp. shares gained 38¢, or 2.68%, to finish at $14.55. Meanwhile, shares in Eastern Platinum Ltd. gained 14¢, or 4.65%, to end at $3.15.

The financials group retreated 0.84% after two days of solid gains.

CIBC shares fell $1.50, or 2.18%, to close at $67.40, as DBRS dropped its rating of the bank to negative, citing concern about risk management capabilities.

As well, Bank of Montreal shares fell 66¢, or 1.40%, to end at $46.64.

The information tech group also helped buoy markets, gaining 0.79%, despite a sink in Research in Motion shares. With quarterly earnings on deck for this afternoon, RIM shares lost $2.47, or 2.06%, to end at $117.63.

In other corporate news, Lululemon Athletica Inc. shares lost 75¢, or 2.34%, to finish at $31.35, after it reported Q4 profits rose to $14.6 million from a year-earlier’s $887,000.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index closed up 10.99 points, or 0.44%, at 2504.85.

The Canadian dollar closed out at US98.66, up 0.78 of a cent from yesterday’s close.

South of the border, Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke’s gloomy outlook presented to Congress combined with reports of falling factory orders in February did not cheer investors and markets sunk in New York.

The Dow lost 45.44 points, or 0.36%, to end at 12,608.92. The S&P 500 fell 2.65 points, or 0.19%, to close at 1,367.53.

Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq closed down 1.35 points, or 0.06%, at 2,361.40.